Typewriter utility receptacles



May 29, 1962 .1. H. HOFFMAN TYPEWRITER UTILITY RECEPTACLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 24, 1960 POWER SOURCE May 29, 1962 J. H. HOFFMAN 3,036,687

TYPEWRITER UTILITY RECEPTACLES Filed 001;. 24, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 States 3,h36,687 Patented May 29, 1962 3,036,637 TYPEWRITER UTILITY RECEPTACLES Jane H. Hoffman, 345 E. 52nd St., New York 17, N.Y. Filed Oct. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 64,490 4 Claims. (Ql. 197-180) The present invention relates to typewriter utility receptacles and, more particularly, to typewriters having receptacles for storage of items generally used in connection with typing.

In operating a typewriter, a typist often has need for using items such as pencils, erasers, eraser shields, paper clips, rubber bands and similar items. It is inconvenient and time consuming for the typist to stop typing, turn around, open a desk drawer, remove the item desired and return to the typewriter. A general object of the present invention is to provide receptacles within a typewriter for convenient storage of such items and to provide immediate access to them by depressing a typewriter key.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a device which will enable typists to have items used in connection with typing readily and easily accessible while typing and to minimize the misplacing of items needed for the efiicient operation of a typewriter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide typewriter utility receptacles which can be readily and economically manufactured on a mass basis.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide typewriter utility receptacles which can be incorporated within the typewriter housing or readily attached to existing typewriter housings.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a prospective view, with parts broken away, of a typewriter having an embodiment of a receptacle in accordance with the present invention, as viewed from the front, top and side thereof;

FIG. 2 is a top sectional view of the utility receptacle of the FIG. 1 embodiment, showing the utility receptacle in the closed position and illustrating an embodiment of the latching mechanism for maintaining the receptacle in a closed position;

FIG. 3 comprises four enlarged side sectional views, with parts broken away, of the latching mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing from left to right, (a) the latching mechanism in the open position, (b) the latching mechanism in the raised position as the utility receptacle is partially closed, the latching mechanism in a partially seated position, and (d) the latching mechanism in the fully seated position as the receptacle is fully closed;

FIG. 4 is a prospective view, as viewed from the front, top and side, of the latching mechanism and mechanical linkage to the utility receptacle operating key, showing in solid lines the typewriter key, which operates said receptacle in the raised position with the latch mechanism in the seated position and, in dotted lines showing the said typewriter key in the depressed position with the utility receptacle released;

FIG. 5 is a prospective view, as viewed from the front, top and side, with parts broken away, of another embodiment of a typewriter having a utility receptacle similar to that proposed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top sectional view of the typewriter utility receptacle of the FIG. 5 embodiment showing an embodiment of means for operating the utility receptacle; and

FIG. 7 is an electric schematic showing electrical means for operating the latch mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals identify similar part throughout, it will be seen that, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, one embodiment of the present invention can include a typewriter 10 having a typewriter housing 11 which contains the usual type writer mechanism 12, a typewriter keyboard 13, and a revolving utility receptacle 20. A usual typewriter carriage 25 is mounted on typewriter housing 11 and contains a cylinder 26, a cylinder knob 27, a cylinder lock lever 28, a line space lever 29, paper side guides 30-49 and a roller 31 for maintaining the typewriter paper in position.

The typewriter keyboard 13 contains typewriter keys 35, 35, a space bar 36, and a tabula-tor bar 37. A typewriter key 40 for operating the revolving utility receptacle 20 is preferably located in typewriter keyboard 13. The revolving typewriter utility receptacle 20, if desired, can be in a housing separate from the typewriter housing 11 and mounted below a standard typewriter with the utility receptacle key 40 extending upwardly into the typewriter keyboard 13. The typewriter utility receptacle key 40 can have the letters UR or other notation printed on the top face 41 of the key to designate the key and its function.

Attached to the typewriter utility receptacle key 40 through linkage means 42 is a utility receptacle latch means 45. The linkage means 42 can, if desired, comprise a rod 46, as shown in detail in FIG. 4, mounted on pivot 47 which is rotatably mounted within the typewriter housing 11. In an electrical typewriter the releasing of latch means 45 could be done by electrical means such as a solenoid 248, as shown in FIG. 7. Depressing typewriter utility receptacle key 40 electrically activates solenoid 248 which lifts latch means 45.

In the FIG. 1 embodiment the revolving typewriter utility receptacle 20 is located in the typewriter housing 11 below the typewriter mechanism 12 and below the typewriter keyboard 13. If desired, the utility receptacle 20 can be pivotally mounted on the housing by a hinge means 50. A spring means 51 can be located at hinge 50 to bias the utility receptacle outwardly when the latch means 45 is in the open position.

A latch receiving means 55 can be located on the utility receptacle 20 to receive latch means 45 when the utility receptacle is in the closed position. As shown in FIG. 3, latch means 45 can have a wedge-shaped lower camming forward face 56 which contacts a leading edge 57 of the latch receiving means 55 when the revolving utility receptacle 20 is moved toward the closed position. The rear face 58 of the latch means 45 is substantially vertical.

The inside 60 of utility drawer 20 is provided with panels 61, 61 to form compartments 62, 62 to house items required by a typist such as pencils, erasers, eraser shields, paper clips, etc.

A stop 63, as shown in FIG. 2, can be located on a side wall 64 of the revolving utility receptacle 2!) to limit the, outward movement of the receptacle. When the utility receptacle 20 is pivoted outward stop 63 will contact an inside shoulder 67 of typewriter housing 11, thus limiting the outward movement of the utility receptacle.

To operate the revolving receptacle 29, a typist merely depresses utility receptacle key 40 as she would any other typewriter key 35, 35. The downward movement of key 40 causes the latch means 45 to move upwardly releasing the revolving utility receptacle 29, which is pivoted outwardly about hinge means '50 by spring means 51. The typist can then readily select the items desired from the utility receptacle.

To close the utility receptacle 20, the typist merely rotates the receptacle inwardly about hinge means 50 until the latch means 45 is seated in the latch receiving means The utility receptacle key 40 will return to its raised position due to the weight of latch means 45. If desired, spring means can be used to bias key 40 upwardly similar to spring means which bias typewriter keys 35, 35 upwardly.

The revolving utility receptacle 20 is shown in the left hand side of the typewriter but if desired, the receptacle could also be located on the right hand side of the typewriter by reversing the mechanism.

As shown in FIGS. and 6, another embodiment of the present invention can include a typewriter 110 having a typewriter housing 111, which contains typewriter mechanism 112 and a typewriter keyboard 113, similar to the FIG. 1 embodiment. Located within the typewriter housing 111 is a rectangularly shaped utility receptacle 120. A typewriter carriage 125, similar to typewriter carriage 2 5 of the FIG. 1 embodiment, is mounted on the typewriter housing 111.

A typewriter key 140 for operating the utility receptacle, is located in typewriter keyboard 116 and a linkage means 142, similar to linkage means 4 2, can be provided to connect key 140 with a latch means 145. The latch means 145 cooperates with a latch receiving means 155 located on the utility receptacle 120, similar to the cooperation between latch means 45 and latch receiving means 55 of the FIG. 1 embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, a spring means 150 biased to move the utility receptacle 120 outwardly can be located between the utility receptacle and the typewriter housing 111. If desired, spring means 150 can be in the form of a coil spring 151 mounted between two spring retaining pegs 152-152 which can be attached, respectively, to the rear wall 153 of the utility receptacle 120 and inside side wall 154 of the typewriter housing.

When the utility receptacle typewriter key 140 is depressed, latch means 145 will raise from its seat in latch receiving means 155. The receptacle will then be impelled outwardly by spring 151. Stop means 163, 163 can be located on the rear wall 153 of the utility receptacle 120 to limit the outward movement of the receptacle. When the utility receptacle 120 is extended outwardly to its length (l), stops 163, 163 will rest against the inside shoulders 167, '167 of the side of typewriter housing 111, thus preventing further outward movement of the receptacle. If desired, guides 168 can be provided on the sides 169-169 of the utility receptacle 129 to facilitate the movement of the receptacle.

The inside 160 of receptacle 120 can be provided with panels 161 to form compartments 162, 162, similar to the compartments in the FIG. 1 embodiment.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efiiciently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A typewriter with a utility receptacle comprising, in combination, a typewriter having a housing and a typewriter keyboard containing typewriter keys; a utility receptacle for storage of equipment used in connection with said typewriter pivotally mounted within the lower portion of said typewriter housing; mechanical latch means for maintaining said receptacle in a closed position within said housing; one of said typewriter keys for releasing said latch means located within said typewriter keyboard; linkage mechanism between said typewriter key and said latch means; and a spring biased to pivot said receptacle outwardly from said housing when said latch means is released by depressing said typewriter key.

2. A typewriter with a utility receptacle comprising, in combination, a typewriter having a housing and a typewriter keyboard containing typewriter keys; a utility receptacle for storage of equipment used in connection with said typewriter pivotally attached to said typewriter housing; a latch mechanism for maintaining said receptacle in a closed position; one of said typewriter keys for releasing said latch mechanism located within said typewriter keyboard; linkage mechanism between said typewriter key and said latch mechanism; a spring biased to pivotally rotate said receptacle outwardly from said housing when said latch means is released by depressing said typewriter key; and a stop attached to said receptacle for limiting the outward movement of said receptacle.

3. A typewriter with a utility receptacle comprising, in combination, a typewriter having a housing and a typewriter keyboard containing typewriter keys; 2. utility receptacle for storage of equipment used in connection with such typewriter pivotally mounted within said typewriter housing; latch means for maintaining said receptacle in a closed position within said housing; one of said typewriter keys for releasing said latch means located within said typewriter keyboard; connecting means extending from said typewriter key to said latch means for releasing said latch means when said typewriter key is depressed; and spring means biased to pivot said receptacle outwardly from said housing when said latch means is released.

4. An electric typewriter with a utility receptacle comprising, in combination, an electric typewriter having a housing and a typewriter keyboard containing typewriter keys; a utility receptacle for storage of equipment used in connection with said typewriter pivotally mounted within said typewriter housing; solenoid operated latch means for maintaining said receptacle in a closed position within said housing; one of said typewriter keys for releasing said latch means located within said typewriter keyboard; electrical connecting means extending from said typewriter key to said solenoid operated latch means for releasing said latch means when said typewriter key is depressed; and spring means biased to pivot said receptacle outwardly from said housing when said latch means is released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

